Irene Documentary Recognized

Thu, 11/16/2017 - 12:49 -- Patrick

The Plymouth Historical Society's hard work on the production of "Irene- Ruin to Renewal" has been recognized by the northeastern chapter of the Alliance for Community Media (ACM-NE). At the ACM-NE's annual video festival and awards show in Falmouth, MA, "Irene- Ruin to Renwal" received 2nd place in the Documentary category. Betsy Tonkin, who performed the role of Executive Producer of the project, and who was the President of the historical society at the time, was presented with the award, along with our Executive Director, Patrick Cody.

We teamed up with the historical society to help produce the documentary, which encompassed more than 2 years of work. The project was spearheaded by Tonkin, who, along with a small team of volunteers from Town, spent hundreds of hours, collecting images and video footage, scheduling and recording interviews as well as the soundtrack (on which several local musicians play), and overseeing the editing process. They relied on us at Okemo Valley TV for technical support, and to supply the necessary facilities and equipment. The feature documentary, which chronicles the impact that Tropical Storm Irene had on the Town, premiered in August 2016 to approximately 400 people over a single weekend at President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site on Plymouth Notch. The screening events marked the 5th anniversary of the storm.

Betsy says: "The Alliance for Community Media award will hopefully create broader opportunities for Plymouth's story of reconnection and renewal to be shared both locally and regionally. This would not have been possible without the partnership between the Plymouth Historical Society and Okemo Valley TV in producing the professional historical documentary. Perhaps the award will inspire others to utilize community media to reach out to larger audiences."

There are a number of ways for community members and organizations to get involved with us, to create media projects of their own, however big or small. Let us know how we can help!